How much do you use your deck? Was it a good purchase?

Honestly I knew from having a switch that I really enjoyed a portable gaming device. My main gaming PC has been running Linux since ~2015 so I wasn't worried about compatibility issues with it being a Linux device.

So it was a pretty safe bet that I would like it. It's honestly exceeded my expectations though, I've barely played any games on my PC at all since getting it.

I use it every day, so much so that my main gaming PC barely gets used. I'm a dad now and it has made gaming not just possible but easy to do.

I've barely used mine. I just didn't think through what use case I'd have for it and bought it since it was cool. I don't travel much and I usually only want to game when I'm home anyway, where I use my main gaming rig. I thought I would use the deck in bed, but I find that it's not as enticing as I thought it would be

been meaning try and sell it while it's still got some value tbh, it's basically brand new even though I've had it for nearly a year

Almost every day. Its my primary way to play games or sometimes ill watch something on it. Its a game changer when traveling too. I bought it to support Linux gaming in general and due to its open nature.

literally every day. I don't want to sequester myself in my room to play on my PC, and I don't want to monopolize the living room TV and have a big desktop tower looking ugly in the entertainment center, so the deck essentially gave me PC gaming back. I debated whether to buy it for months and months, and I shouldn't have. My goal was nothing more than to be able to play PC games and to unlock emulation on a small screen with real controllers. I just finished playthroughs of metal gear solid 2 and fallout new vegas, and I'm starting red dead redemption 2 today (if the damn download ever finishes). The only thing I'd caution a new purchaser about is springing for the big hard drive and/or being willing to install an aftermarket one. SD cards seems like a reasonable sol'n but reports are coming in that the deck is hard on them because it does a lot of writing to the card, and that an SSD is a worthwhile investment.

When I first got it, as any new toy, I used it non stop. I recently moved and resetup my office and mainly game on my desktop. Though on vacation playing steam deck in bed or before we went out in the morning was really nice. I have no regrets buying it even if I’m not using it regularly.

Well, mine has 100% restored PC gaming which abandoned about 10 years ago, and has improved the experience by light years. At home, I use the deck in my living room and family room docked, and anywhere else as a handheld (pooping has changed forever).

At work, I use it an lunch breaks, and during boring meetings I don't need ta focus much on.

The library of games available would be unthinkable to me as a kid. Most modern PC games, and everything prior can be played either natively, or via emulation.

I also call mine a Gabe-Boy. lol

If you're on the fence, GET IT.

Nothing better than loading it full of roms and playing the classics while my partner is playing a game or watching TV. I haven't done anything too crazy with it but playing OpenRCT2 from the couch in 2023 is amazing.

absolutely still loving it. unlike other gear it is always within reach.

grumpy day? quick terror of hemasaurus on the couch.

heading off to the family? take a steam deck and not a fucking notebook.

stay at a hotel with wifi but no free sportstv? usbc hub+hdmi+strikeout.ws

dude i have bought so many stupid gadgets (e.g. sony mylo) but the steam deck aint one of them.

I usually play around an hour each day.

Absolutely no goals, I just enjoy gaming on the go, it's a vessel for that and I'm a strong candidate.

I’m a sucker for indie games.

Since I’ve bought the Deck, I play Hunt Showdown on PC. Every other game is on the Deck, probably around 30 hours a month on the deck.

This is since februari, so already got my moneys worth.

I have had mine since early February and I still prefer it over gaming on my main rig. I bought it with me on my 3 week bike trip through all of Sweden even though it weighs more than my tent. I short, it’s one of my favorite buys of the decade.

Pretty much daily.

I work from home, and my work computer and personal rig share a desk - by the end of the work day, sitting in the same chair at the same desk to stare at another screen started feeling like a chore and I had all but quit gaming.

The Deck has changed that. Not only am I loving gaming again, but I've found myself playing genres I never would have on my PC (things like Vampire Survivors just feel great on it, but I had no interest in them on my PC)

Depends. I have a good desktop gaming computer and a 4k monitor. DLSS makes the two work together nicely... and yet, sometimes I just want to play on the Deck. A big upside is how the entire system uses up to the same power as my gpu does at idle, and I don't have to add the heat generated by the monitor: brilliant way to keep the room temperature in check.

Being able to play anywhere I want (couch? why not) is a great motivator.

I wanted a handheld that could run the new retro-inspired titles that keep getting me hooked, because I didn't feel like I wanted to be chained to my desktop to play twin-stick shooters and pixel art platformers.

What keeps me hooked is its versatility and ease of use. I finally have something to take my Steam catalogue with me on trips or just sit on the couch, away from my PC.

I use my main PC more often, but I still think my Steam Deck is worth it. I use it every once in a while I'm over at my parents' babysitting their dog when they go out. And I'll bring it out when I take public transit. I just enjoy having the option of using it where ever I go.

Oh my God, maybe 500 hours or more in a year. I actually stopped gaming on my PC. It was aging anyway, and I still think I'll get a new PC to play starfield and armored core. But I have put some serious time into my deck.

I beat: Horizon zero dawn Breath of the wild Kingdom come deliverance Wasteland 3 Assassin's creed black flag Dredge Children of morta

I almost beat: Tunic Outer wilds Hades

And sunk hundreds of hours into the roguelikes vampire survivors risk of rain 2.

I credit the suspend / resume feature as much as anything else. When playing through a big game, being able the press a button and instantly pick up where you left off, vs: booting your PC, launching steam, maybe launching a 3rd party launcher, loading the game, loading your save, then playing. It's one second to start playing vs 5 - 10 minutes? So when you only have 20 minutes to play, you actually play.

I hope steam os becomes available on more powerful or custom hardware honestly, because going back to windows or even Linux feels like a chore after getting spoiled by suspend / resume on the deck.

I didn't have a specific plan for how I wanted to use it but having it around encourages me to use it.

Because of the Steam Deck I was able to kick back with it in my hands and be like "eh why not start Yakuza 0 I've had it in my library for a while" and now I'm set on playing through the whole series since they're remastered on Steam these days.

Also is nice to have it around for whenever I wanna kill a bit of time and run some roguelites or other casual games. But overall it's made it much easier for me to drop in and try out my backlog of single player games since it's so easy to start playing even if I'm not in the mood to sit at my desk.

I've also found fun use cases like leaving it in its dock and using the touchscreen to trigger Soundux soundboard with the audio routed to my main PC. Or using obs websocket to control OBS on my main PC from the Deck's touchscreen, kinda using it like an impromptu Stream Deck (lol). All around fun to use as intended and also find cool ways to utilize it when I'm not gaming on it.

I bought mine specifically for use with work trips in mind and I was able to get a lot of use on a month long trip late last year so yeah I'd say it's already priced it's worth for me. I don't really use it in the house or everyday, but it'll be ready to go for my next work trip!

Having kids it gets used all the time, I hardly ever touch my PC or PS5 anymore

I use it mostly docked and play on my TV. I know it is not the primary purpose, but playing PC games on the couch on a big TV is just great.

I started using it a lot more once I got the dock. Before I wasn't sure if it was the right purchase, because I didn't use it as much as I would like to.

Of course sometimes it comes with me when I am traveling.

Basically I am using it the same way as my Switch and in the end it was really worth it. I got one with the second batch I believe and I used it many hundredths of hours so far.

While the majority of playtime still happens on my desktop PC, the Steam Deck has completely replaced my Switch. When I still used that one the biggest pain point besides stick drift was that I had to hack my console and then manually transfer save files and also double-purchase games when I wanted to take them on the go. Doing that got me (unsurprisingly) banned.

With the Steam Deck cloud saves are a free feature instead and I don't need to buy games twice either, which probably already amortized a good chunk of the price of the Steam Deck. So yeah, pretty good value.

Few times a week, way more often than any other devices that's not my phone. The way that it makes PC gaming accessible and portable is amazing.

All the time. It's great as a parent!

I was just excited for a portable, powerful Linux based machine and wanted to see it succeed so we could get more of them as time went on.

I use the thing daily docked and portable for gaming, 3D modeling, coding away from my main PC...it's been great. If it broke today I'd buy another. Or even better, I'd just pick up the easily available replacement parts and fix it.

Use it for every flight and long train/bus ride. Brought it to LAN parties instead of bringing my desktop. Typically I only play indie games or non-demanding games.

For comparison: I also own a GPD Win 2, it was more of a hassle and I didn't play on it as often.

I've beaten a few games with, basically if I want to chill and play a controller based game I'll get it on there, Resident Evil 4 most recently.

Rimworld also works well on it and it is a blast to have a mobile colony.

Well over 100 hours so far, which is a lot for me personally.

I use to to play Steam games, emulate GBA games, play non-steam games, watch TV, Movies, and YouTube.

I used it as my computer recently at an old school LAN party.

I play card games, turn based strategy games, RTS games, FPS games, arcade games, couch co-op games. It's awesome to play on, it's awesome to mod, it's awesome to use as a portable device, as a home console, or as a portable PC.

I use it with friends on Discord, I listen to podcasts and music while playing by myself. I've used it traveling locally and across the country. I'm gunna use it tomorrow on my TV to watch a live sporting event.

There just hasn't been any real significant complaints I've had at all. It does everything I can think of and more. It's one of the best purchases I've made in years.

I’m still in the honeymoon period (2-weeks since I got it), but I find myself gaming with it every single day pretty much (I’ve put over 40, maybe 50 hours into it already). It’s so much easier to use (and more comfortable) than my computer, whileI don’t have a full gaming computer I’m playing games on my deck I could have played on my computer.

There are definitely games that work better on the steam deck than others but I found a large library of games that I enjoy playing. Also, emulators are a ton of fun and a way to recapture the nostalgia of my youth.

It's been amazing for me. It actually helped me slash through a bunch of my backlog. Games I've finished on deck: Aperture Desk Job, Axiom Verge 1&2, Braid, Bro Force, Darq, Deaths Door, Eternal Hope, Guacamelee 2, Inside, Journey, Limbo, Ori 1&2, Portal 1&2, Shady Part of Me, Stanley Parable, Stella, Stray, Trine 1,2,3&4, Unbound (Worlds Apart), Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves (so 4 & Lost Legacy), Vesper, and Yooka-Laylee. Currently playing Hollow Knight. Performance has been great, even played Sea of Thieves with friends online and it was solid. I go through periods where I don't play much but with the deck it seems easier to just fire something up and dive in. Especially because of quick resume.

Was absolutely worth it!

I didn't have any specific goals besides being able to play games while sitting on the couch or while traveling. And then I played through the entire Arkham and Yakuza series on it (and some other smaller games in between). Currently playing Ishin on it and no signs of dust yet, the opposite. The skin I put on when I got the steam deck now shows quite some signs of use.

Daily, but not for what it was intended as. I replaced the disk with a 1TB one dual boot Ubuntu & use it as my main PC.

I got mine like 2 months ago and I'm well over 100 hours already

I had buyers regret right after I clicked purchase because I was on the wait-list for a year and then I got the email saying I had 3 days to purchase or I lose my spot in line, so naturally my FOMO kicked in. Well played, valve.

I love the damn thing though. I don't play it every day but when I fire it up I'm in awe of what it can play. Such a fun tinkering machine too. Most recently I've been replaying MGS V and Freedom Planet 2.

I sold it. I have a pc, and usually when I would be able to use it, I don’t want to play and just got off my pc

Every day. I have it since the launch month and probably used it every day since. My desktop PC is super neglected.

My gaming PC broke a few months after I got my deck. I realized my deck did everything I needed and I wouldn't need to spend many thousands on a new rig.

I'm happy. I'm also a patient gamer who doesn't play AAA eye candy games so it's an easy transition

All the freaking time.

My SO bought me a deck this past summer sale. So far he has used it for way more hours than I have lmao

Altogether, I wanted the deck so that I didn't have to buy a dedicated desktop for gaming. I just have an old Lenovo for school that keeps up with some of my gaming, but not all of it. I really enjoy the portability of the deck. Its heavy and I'm weak and holding it up while I'm lying in bed makes my arms tired quickly, so I bought an articulated tripod tablet holder. Now I can game for so long without having an entire laptop in bed or on the couch.

Allowed me to catch up on pc games I missed as a console gamer. Well worth it for me. After 8ish months it’s not being played daily but used based on games I feel like playing at the time.

I use it several times a week usually. But I use it almost exclusively docked. I got mine to be a bridge to a newer laptop or pc. I have an old gaming laptop that I primarily would just hook up to a TV. I play almost all games with a controller if I can.

So it works like the Switch for me. I can easily move it from the living room tv to the bedroom if I want.

I use it almost everyday. I'm getting through my steam library more so than I was on my PC. It makes me want to play more games. I also use it to play emulators which with a bigger screen and power it's better than my switch. I dock it to my TV and take it on the go and recently on the plane.

So, I don't really play much, tbh. But that's just me. I go through, like, phases where I play video games a lot for several weeks, and then don't touch a game for several months. What I can say is, with the exception of TOTK on switch, the only thing I use is the SD. It's the best game (or really, tech in general) purchase I've ever made. I'm poor as a MF, and I'd make that purchase over again if I had the option. Absolutely zero regrets. It's perfect, and I love that I have it when I want it.

I play with my deck every day, probably more than my actual PC these days.

I don't have one, so I can't speak for myself.

But my coworker, who works later into the night (before I take over the night shift) seems to falll asleep playing it most days.

While I disagree with this on a professional level, I'm not about to stir the pot if his work is getting done.

When I first pre-ordered I was working a job that had hour lunches and thought it would be great to kill all that extra time. Now I'm in a different job with 30 minute lunch, so I don't get to use it as often but I would still say it's worth it just to keep in my car if I ever happen to have time to kill before an appointment.

I think realistically the most important thing is how big your steam library is. In general, I've hated handhelds. The DS was great but the screen was too small and I've never been motivated to use it to try new experiences but I've never had that issue with the steam deck. I think it's due to (a) the library size (b) the first attempt at an all digital console (c) the ease of emulating my physical retro library to quickly jump on my impulses to play them.

I really had every reason to hate this since it was an impulse FOMO purchase which I could afford but probably should not have.

I use it a lot, it is ny main gaming machine, i couldn't be happier with my purchase

Is there actually a way to see how many hours you've used it for?

Having no idea how much I've used it total, I'd still say it's a good purchase.

I played it a lot when I got it - it was a good excuse to play some games that have been languishing in my library. Recently I haven't used it a ton except when on travel, but my fiance has played a lot of games on it, and it opens up the possibility of us playing PC games together. So I'd say it's been well worth it overall.

When I get the itch to play a game I'll play the Deck an hour or 2 I've the course of a few days until I beat the game or I'm distracted. If I'm not doing that the deck can sit dormant for months at a time. I'm not a huge gamer but I am a tech enthusiast. I think it's worth it but I can't get into a lot of games. I have trouble finding games that get me hooked. I'd like to play Jedi Survivor at some point but not at the current price.

I play for maybe an hour or 2 every couple of days. I recently docked it to the living room TV and now the wife plays a couple of hours a week now too.

Probably the best gaming hardware purchase I've ever made. Play weekly, take it with us on vacation so we can hook it to hotel tvs and not put up with cable or smart tv BS. Absolutely love it.

I bought a decent dock for it so it kinda spends more time plugged into TV than not but yeah had one for about 6 months still use it.

I use it more than I have any previous hand-helds

That is to say, occasionally haha but still love it

I use it as a steam link when I'm home and load it up with emulators in case I'm away from my gaming PC.

the proton support this great, I just love having less fan noise and pleanty of battery.

I had an initial period where I played it a bunch, then I decided I have a few more Switch games to get through and then that will become a dust collector mostly, until I want to replay something many years from now. After this year or so I imagine it will be seeing tons of usage.

I suppose I could say I bought it a bit prematurely, but given that I have been using it and so has my son its been a fine purchase

Sometimes every day, sometimes not for a week or so. I usually play with it docked to my tv, I have a wireless mouse and 2 wireless controllers. I get interested in certain games I think would be fun playing on the TV, like coop games and right now Just Cause 3. I also got back into emulators, they are fun on the deck and TV.

I use mine just about every day. I still have a great time with it and use it as my main gaming machine. No regrets here.

I don't play mine everyday (owning an Xbox and Switch means I move about a bit) but for what I payed for the base model it's totally worth it. I rarely sit at my PC to game since working from home so being able to lay back on the sofa with some Stellaris, Civ 6 or Cities is a touch. Plus the freedom it allows for customisation and emulation put all other consoles to shame.

Everyday. Playing wow right now.

Recently I realized I had 350 dollars worth of CSGO creates sitting in my inventory. So I bought a steam deck. I'm a game developer so I have a desktop with a 1080 and 64 GB of ram, a desktop with a 4070 and 64 GB of ram. A laptop with a 1660 and 16 GB of ram, and now a Steam deck with 64 GB of storage and a 1 tb micro sd. I use my Steam deck rarely at most. I have so many devices I don't really need a Steam deck but I had enough to get the Steam deck and honestly, I probably would have bought 350 dollars worth of games but I thought the investment in hardware would help me test games for Steam deck compatibility. Besides it's something to add to my collection.

Overall, I don't use it though. I don't even really use my laptop. If I am going to play games I usually do so on one of my desktops. Also, I will say I think I made the mistake of not dishing out 200 more dollars for the 512 GB version that comes with an anti-glare screen. The load times for micro SDs are really long and I am surprised they only support UHS-I instead of something faster. The anti-glare screen also helps it be a more viable device as I'm likely to use it in the car on road trips or someplace like the living room where we keep the curtains open.

I also didn't realize it got so hot. I wouldn't really want to give the device to my kids to play. My oldest is 5 and he loves the Nintendo Switch but we don't have a ton of games for it. I'd love to give him my steam deck to mess around with but the deck seems fragile and gets extremely hot compared to the switch or even his Samsung A7 tablet. I wouldn't want him to feel the back of the Deck, get burnt, and drop it or get scared of it. It's really not a young-kid-friendly device like I thought it might be.

Closing thoughts, I got the hardware essentially for free and I like it. It's a great little device and I certainly love messing around with Steam OS in desktop mode. It's a cool little experiment. I feel like if I was a consumer I'd likely would have been a bit disappointed with the 64 GB version. It might be worth it to pop it open and install a better drive in it someday but I'll stick with the slow SD card for now. Most of the time I use I'm just trying to waste time anyways.

Very happy with it. $400 MSRP feels right, I don't think I would feel so positively if it was more. I'm on vacation right now and using it a lot to wind down in the evenings.

It's my only PC, so I've used it quite a bit, although not as much as I thought I would?
I got it day one and played it a fair bit last year (about as much as my PS5), but recently I've been playing on PS5 (and Series X, to a lesser extent) a lot more. It hasn't been collecting dust too much, as I'm still using it as a regular old PC, but certainly not daily.

Once a month, on average, I’d guess. I just thought it’d be a nice way to game in the living room. It is, and I’d buy it again. Prior to opening it I would go months between times that I play. I wish I had more time to customize it, really, as the control scheme offers so many possibilities. But I can game or I can bind, and not both.

Missus doesn't let me near it. Overall, it was a good purchase but next time I'd go for one with smaller breasts... and no gaming addiction 🤭

I mean I knew about the breast at the time of purchase, but gaming addiction...